“Romeo and Juliet” @ Shakespeare & Company, 5/28/09

Youth and energy power S&C’s “Romeo and Juliet”
By Michael Eck
Special to the Times Union
LENOX, MASS. – Could it be that a well-known, well-loved Berkshires institution is changing its name to the Amphetamine Shakespeare Company?
One might think so, especially if they find themselves in the audience of Shakespeare & Company’s current production of the Bard’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
Director Jonathan Croy’s nimble reduction of the play begins frantically, with an almost punk rock energy that is maintained at pitch throughout much of the show by his young cast.
These aren’t mere swordfights. These are grunting, clanging and furious matches that nearly threaten the crowd’s safety.
In fact, in his opening speech prior to curtain, Croy playfully warned folks in the front rows of the intimate Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre to keep their feet tucked in.
“Romeo and Juliet,” is, if anything, about youth. Remind yourself, for example, that the comely, inspiring Juliet is all of 13 at the time of the play’s action.
Therefore, Croy’s tactic works. He really lets this cast bounce.
It works in other ways, too. Alyssa Hughlett, for example, brings a genuine innocence to Juliet, but one underpinned with a determination that will be familiar to any parent of a teenager.
And Benjamin Brinton, as Romeo, makes the character’s romantic angst palpable in an almost giddy way.
It’s terrific to have leads in this play who aren’t so busy swooning they forget to be human.
This production, which opens the company’s most ambitious season ever (packed as it is with 18 different shows), also toured New England this spring. One might expect the homecoming to be a time to relax, but Croy’s gang is amped.
All of the play’s roles, in classic Shakespearean fashion, are assayed by only seven actors. When Paul D’Agostino, clad as Juliet’s understanding, bawdy Nurse, drops her cloak to reveal a priest’s vestments, becoming, in a beat, Friar Lawrence, it is an arresting moment of raw theater.
Women also play men, so at least Croy isn’t adhering to that part of the tradition.
In his notes, he points out that the gender blindness in casting was part of an overall effort to focus on the “choices” being made in the play, rather than the makers of those choices.
Another exciting element of this simple, sturdy production is the addition of Sean Kazarian to the company. He just about eats what little scenery there is onstage, especially in a frightening scene as Juliet’s father. But he also offers a rock star charisma that is always welcome in Elizabethan theatre. Whether he will become the next Croy – or the next Jonathan Epstein – remains to be seen, but it will be fun to watch him try.